In the retail setting, one of the more important challenges is accurately tracking the inventory on shelves and bins containing merchandise items. More specifically, shopping facilities seek to identify and locate shelves and containers in a low inventory condition (including a no inventory condition) and restock those shelves and containers before they run out of inventory. If the shelves or containers run out of inventory, this lack of available inventory may result in loss of sales or may result in delay and customer dissatisfaction while customers wait for employees to search for available inventory in other locations, such as a back room or general stock holding area.
This challenge is more pronounced for containers that do not hold regular inventory but that instead hold unusual merchandise items, such as promotional items. Frequently, inventory systems are in place to monitor standard shelves that are stationary and generally hold the same inventory. These shelf locations are known and generally fixed locations. In contrast, containers that hold promotional and other non-standard merchandise items may be frequently moved to different locations within the shopping facility or may be stocked with a constantly changing type of merchandise items, such as when the shopping facility changes from one promotion to a different promotion. Certain containers, such as bins, are often located in the aisles (not on standard shelves) and may be moved to other aisles or locations in the shopping facility. Accordingly, these circumstances present a challenge in identifying containers having low inventory conditions as well as determining the actual location of these containers.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide improved systems and methods for identifying and locating containers holding such merchandise items. Some types of merchandise items are carried in movable containers and not on shelves, and many current inventory tracking systems do not apply as well for these containers of merchandise items. There is a need to be able to determine the locations of these containers when they are in a low inventory condition.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.